Earlier this year, we got to baptize the 1,500th person that has been baptized since God brought me to Forest Park. One of them was a young married man who started coming when his wife kept coming home with stories of how God was working in her life. She wrote me a few months before his baptism and said:

“Thank you for presenting your messages in a way that I think we can all relate to.  I have so many ideas and things that I feel that God is calling me to do, but honestly don’t know if I can set myself up for disappointment again from the church. Thank you so much for allowing God to speak through you in such a way that is so ‘real.’ It has re-sparked a spiritual excitement in me again. And that is an awesome feeling!”

Now this couple is raising their children in our church and excited about God! Every person we have baptized has a story. Your giving makes an eternal difference in the lives of people who need Jesus. Giving has been strong in the first quarter as you will see in the enclosed reports. At Forest Park we worship; we grow; we serve; and God changes lives.

Starting today, I’m including in my quarterly letter some ministry needs that we can’t afford in our budget. If you feel led to give over-and-above your regular giving toward any of these items on our “wish list,” simply indicate the purpose of the gift on your check or envelope.

• $35 will provide food for one family visiting our Food Pantry.
• $258 will provide a scholarship for one child to attend summer camp.
• $470 will buy software for our campus worship leaders. We need two.
• $500 will provide an “in-ear monitor” for one member of our praise team. We need three.
• $750 will provide a computer for our children’s security check-in system. We need three.
• $1,000 will provide drum cymbals for the youth floor. (They are electronic and not as loud!)
• $1,000 will provide a baptistry for our North Campus.
• $1,500 will provide a new safe for the Church Office.
• $2,000 will provide office furniture for our Carthage Campus.

Any amount can be given to provide help with travel expenses for someone going on a mission trip. Call it “mission trip scholarships.”

God is using your church to help people discover real life! On behalf of 1,500 souls who have been baptized at Forest Park in the past 14 years, I say “thank you for investing in eternity.”

I love you!